View full sizeThomas Boyd / The OregonianKeen, Inc., began moving into its new headquarters building at the corner of Northwest 13th Avenue and Glisan Street this week. The Keen Garage, the company's retail space, will open on the ground floor in December.

Since Curleigh's departure the agency has lost its advertising agency, its
vice president for marketing, its vice president for design and development and
its chief financial officer.

Despite those changes, "Keen is not in turmoil," spokeswoman Linda Balfour
said Friday. "We're looking forward to the future with some major positive plans
ahead of us."

Near the top of that list would be moving into the company's own building.

Keen announced in February that it had purchased five-story,
50,000-square-foot building at Northwest 13th Avenue and Glisan Street, paying
about $10 million. A three-phase move started Thursday and continues into next
week.

A new retail space called the "Keen Garage" will open on the building's
ground floor in December. The first Keen Garage, located in the ground floor of
Keen's soon-to-be former home, a leased space near the corner of Northwest 13th
Avenue and Lovejoy Street, will close.

Balfour declined to comment on personnel changes that have unfolded at Keen
since Curleigh's departure. The company has declined repeated requests for
interviews with Keen's majority owner, Rory Fuerst.

North, a Portland-based advertising agency, produced the current Keen
branding campaign, "Recess Is Back." Balfour said Keen will continue to use
"Recess" in its marketing, a campaign that emphasizes the importance of taking
short, active breaks in a work day. North officials declined to comment.

Phyllis Grove, Keen's former vice president for marketing, left the company
at the end of August. Kelly Wallrich, vice president of design and development,
will leave the company at the end of this year. And Eric Winston, the chief
financial officer, left in July.

Keen was founded in 2003 with the launch of the Newport sandal known for its
covered toes. Keen products are available in more than 5,000 retail locations in
60 countries.

Last year, Outside magazine named Keen one of "America's Best Places to
Work."